Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid

Relationships:

Kip Grady/Scott Hunter, Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Kip Grady/Shane Hollander

Characters:

Kip Grady, Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter (Game Changers)

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, One Night Stands, Hook-Up, Coming Out, Light Angst, Panic Attacks, Scott Hunter Finds Out About Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, past Kip Grady/Shane Hollander, Protective Ilya Rozanov, Good Friend Kip Grady, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Anxious Shane Hollander, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort

Language:

English

Stats:

Published: 2026-04-07 Words: 1,934 Chapters: 1/1

Kip Grady Has a Type

Summary

Shane only hooked up with two men other than Ilya. One of them was Kip Grady.

Years later, when Scott introduces his boyfriend to him at a gala, Shane panics. Thankfully, Ilya is there to calm him down.

Kip is just trying to be supportive.

Scott Hunter is very confused.

Notes

So in the books, Shane does sleep with 2 other men... And it got me thinking about the what ifs.

Enjoy!

Kip pushed the guy against the wall, kissing him. Sam, or Seth, or whatever his name was. Not like it mattered: he clearly gave a fake one. He was cute, beautiful freckles, and oh, those muscles under his shirt were definitely doing it for Kip. But he was also very nervous, Kip could see it clearly. So he pulled back a bit.

“You okay?” He asked. “Are you sure that you wanna do this?”

The guy nodded, but he still seemed nervous.

“Please don't tell me I’m the first guy you’ve been with,” Kip said.

He really didn't feel like being someone's gay experiment right now. Thankfully, Sam/Seth shook his head, blushing even further.

“No. There was...is one other guy.”

Oh. Kip wasn't unfamiliar with messy situationships. 

“Well, if you’re sure...” He said, leaning closer.

“I am,” the guy said, kissing Kip hungrily.

“Then I can show you a few tricks,” Kip grinned. “To impress your guy the next time you see him.”

It was a good hookup. Nothing too memorable though, and Kip almost forgot about it, until...

***

This was the first award ceremony Scott had brought him to. It had been crazy since their kiss on the ice, and not always the good kind of crazy. Scott had tried to shield Kip from the worst of it; he knew that, but the comments and stares were never-ending. Whatever. He could deal with it. He had so much less to lose than Scott, and in the end, it was all worth it, to be able to stand by Scott, showing the whole world that he was Kip’s, calling him his boyfriend for the whole room to hear. It was worth it. 

“Oh, let me introduce you to someone,” Scott said, pulling some guy by the arm to their table. “Kip, this is Shane Hollander. Hollander, this is my boyfriend, Kip.”

Kip had to do a double-take. Freckles. Dark hair. Lips he had definitely kissed before. The way all the blood drained from Hollander’s face was even further confirmation.

“Uhh, hi,” Shane Hollander muttered. “Nice to...Nice to meet you. I gotta go, sorry.”

And with that, he turned around, hurrying away, barely slow enough for it not to be called running. Scott stared after him, slightly confused.

“I didn’t think Hollander was homophobic,” he muttered.

“No, I don’t think this is about that,” Kip shook his head.

Poor kid. He must be panicking now, he thought. He should find him. Reassure him that he won’t be outed, not by Kip. He took a sip of his drink and turned to Scott.

“I need some air. I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”

Scott gave him a weird look, but still nodded.

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine, stay,” Kip assured him.

And with that, he went searching for Hollander. It didn’t take long for him to find him. He heard high-pitched whispering from one of the secluded corridors, near the emergency exit. He turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, because Hollander wasn’t alone.

He recognised the other guy. He got an award tonight, and Scott groaned and complained about Ilya fucking Rozanov, bane of his existence.

He didn’t look smug or annoying right now. He looked worried. Hollander was slouched forward, his breathing too loud and too fast, while Rozanov rubbed his back, whispering to him.

“I can’t...” Shane gasped between breaths. “Fuck, Ilya, he’ll tell, he’ll, I...”

“Shane, calm down,” Rozanov’s voice was so affectionate, so tender, it took Kip completely by surprise.

These weren’t the rivals Scott had told him about. There was something much more between them.

“He’ll not tell,” Ilya continued. 

And then he looked up, only just noticing Kip. His expression shifted, turning cold as he stared down Kip, as he continued talking to Shane, but louder.

“He’ll not tell, or I’ll make sure he regrets it.”

Kip gulped. The guy was scary looking as hell, and paired with the Russian accent...Yeah, Kip wouldn’t want to piss him off.

But this wasn’t about Rozanov. It was about Shane Hollander, clearly in the middle of a panic attack, caused by Kip.

“He’s right,” he said, clearing his throat. “I won’t tell a soul, I swear. Not even Scott if you don’t want me to.”

“What won’t you tell me about?”

Fuck. Kip spun around, only to see his very worried, and very confused boyfriend standing at the corner.

Rozanov said something in Russian that sounded like a curse word, and Hollander muttered: Oh god, before keeling over even more.

Kip had to do something.

“Okay. No one is saying anything to anyone,” he said, and when Scott opened his mouth to ask something, he silenced him with a look. “Me and Scott will go back to the gala. You should really take Hollander outside, let him get some fresh air. You can say that he had too much to drink or something. And then, in half an hour or so, when this gala ends, we can meet outside and go to our place.”

Scott opened his mouth to protest, but Kip squeezed his hand. Later, he mouthed.

“We can go to our place and discuss all of this, if you want to. If you don’t, that’s okay too. Then we’ll all forget about this and never bring it up. Not a word to anyone, I promise.”

Rozanov and Hollander exchanged looks, a quiet conversation between them. Finally, Rozanov nodded.

“Okay. See you in half an hour.”

“What the hell was that?” Scott asked as soon as the others were out of sight.

Kip sighed.

“I can’t really explain it right now.”

“Did you just invite Hollander and Rozanov to our place?”

“Yes. It’s better than talking here.”

“I thought they hated each other,” Scott shook his head. “Although...”

He got that thinking look on his face, and Kip smiled. He planted a small kiss on Scott’s lip and murmured:

“Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

And he hoped that he was right.

***

An hour later, Rozanov and Hollander were sitting on their couch, a tiny bit closer than two friends would. At least Hollander didn’t look like he was going to faint any minute anymore. Rozanov kept glaring at Scott and Kip, as if daring them to say something.

“Do you guys want anything to drink?” Kip asked, desperately trying to break the tension. “Tea, coffee, water?”

“Do you have ginger ale for Sh..Hollander?” Rozanov asked.

Kip pretended not to notice that little slip of tongue.

“Sorry, no.”

“Water then,” Rozanov said, and after a beat of silence he added. “Please.”

After putting two glasses down, Kip sat next to Scott, who put a protective hand around his waist.

“So...” Scott said.

“I...” Hollander spoke up, clearing his throat. “Uhm, I’m sorry about freaking out earlier. It was...nice of you guys to help.”

“Why did you freak out?” Scott pushed, and Kip elbowed him in the side.

Hollander - Shane went red, which was at least better than the ghostly shade of white he was earlier. He gave a desperate look to Kip.

“I...I saw your boyfriend and uhm...” he trailed off, swallowing nervously. “Kip, maybe you should...explain. Fuck, I’m shit at this.”

Rozanov put a hand on Shane’s shoulder, murmuring something in Russian. 

“If you’re sure, I can explain what I know,” Kip said gently. “But we don’t have to.”

“It’s...it’s cool. I think,” Shane said, although he didn’t sound sure at all.

“Okay. Okay,” Kip said, turning to Scott. “So a year or so before we got together, I had a hookup.”

“Oookay,” Scott said slowly.

“With Shane. Whom I knew as Sam. Or Seth. I can’t remember. No offense,” he added, glancing at Shane.

Scott stared at him, wide-eyed.

“You and Hollander? Really?” he asked, shocked.

“Seems like he has a thing for hockey players, Hunter. And not just really old ones,” Rozanov added.

“Ilya, not now,” Shane muttered.

Scott didn’t even seem to register the insult, still processing the information.

“And did you know who he was later, or..?” he asked Kip, and he shook his head.

“I only realised tonight, when you introduced us. And I think the same goes for Shane.”

“Yeah. I didn’t see your face clearly on TV, and I didn’t realise,” Shane said. “It was stupid of me.”

“No. Not stupid. Who would think your hookup was Scott Hunter’s child bride?” Rozanov asked.

“Fuck you, Rozanov. He's literally the same age as you,” Scott snarled. “And what exactly are you doing in this mix? Because this sure as hell doesn’t look like rivalry to me.”

Kip put a hand on his thigh, trying to calm him down. Rozanov looked conflicted between snapping back and confessing the truth.

“Ilya,” Shane said, a warning.

“Yes, right. Not rivals.”

“You two seem to... care about each other,” Kip said slowly.

The two exchanged looks, and finally Shane spoke up.

“We’re. Together. I kinda suspected that you knew for a while,” he turned to Scott. 

Scott frowned, thinking.

“Fuck. What I said at the ice to you. I’m sorry, Hollander, I didn’t mean it. I wouldn’t have if I had known...”

“It’s okay,” Shane murmured.

“So you guys have been together since then?”

“Not officially, no,” Rozanov shook his head. “Only last summer we became boyfriends.”

And oh, Shane blushed at that word. It was cute, Kip thought, these two.

“But casually, much longer,” Rozanov added.

“Since when?”

“Rookie year,” Shane said, the same time Rozanov said:

“The summer before rookie year.”

Scott and Kip stared at them in stunned silence. Almost a decade. Damn.

“But we can’t come out, yes?” Rozanov said, turning deadly serious. “It’s not the same for us as for you. It was very brave, what you guys did. And we also want to. At some point. But I have Russia. And our teams. It’s not easy.”

Kip nodded. He knew how hard it was for Scott to come out, and he was a lot closer to retiring, with a lot more stability and fame. But these two...

“We won’t tell a soul,” he promised, looking at Scott for confirmation.

“Of course not,” Scott agreed. “You guys decide if and when you want to come out. But if you ever want to talk about it...”

“We’ll ask old wise man for advice, yes,” Rozanov chirped.

“I’m serious, Rozanov. You’re still an asshole, and I don’t know why Hollander puts up with you, but if you guys ever need help or just someone to talk to, I’m here.”

“We’re here,” Kip corrected him, and Scott rewarded his boyfriend with a smile.

“Thanks,” Shane said, rubbing his neck. “And I’m sorry. Again. About the whole making a scene thing.”

“I don’t think anyone noticed,” Kip shrugged.

They talked more, and it was surprisingly nice. The other hockey players, the ones at the gala, either treated them like they were made of glass, making awkward comments and overdoing the support, or were barely hiding their disgust. This was different. Good different.

Rozanov made an excuse half an hour later, about having an early flight the next day, but based on the way he was looking at Shane, Kip knew they were also going to have a long night. Scott walked them to the door, and once it closed, he turned back to Kip.

“Shane Hollander? Really?” he asked.

“What can I say,” Kip laughed, looping his arm around his boyfriend’s neck. “I have a thing for hockey players. But don't worry, I've settled for my favourite one.”